Articles and comments by Fadi Zanayed, a Moderate Palestinian, about the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Palestinians Need To Drastically Change The State of Affairs

By: Fadi Zanayed, October 28, 2008

Previously, I wrote that the Palestinians state of affairs as we near the end of 2008 is very sad and concluded by stating that Palestinians need a dramatic change of events; that they need to take matters in their own hands and change the status quo. I want to expound upon the need for change.

But first, let me state what I perceive as the status quo.

 The occupation of Palestine by the Israeli military lingers into its fifth decade with no end in sight.

Negotiations for a lasting peace, although prodded along by President George W. Bush in the waning months of his presidency, is not foreseeable.

The agreements signed thus far have brought about an endless maze of checkpoints and an apartheid wall (as former President Jimmy Carter has described it) that have

1.limited Palestinian movement;

2.isolated relatives and towns from each other;

3.destroyed the Palestinian economy; and

4.frustrated the collective lifestyle of Palestinians, visitors to the region and tourists.

Palestinian political prisoners linger in Israeli torture chambers.

The Israeli settlements in the West Bank are increasing daily and the halting of settlement construction is not imminent, especially around Jerusalem.

This is the status quo. A sad state of affairs for the Palestinians. Yet for the Israelis it is life as normal, for they have been in this state of affairs since its birth date of May 15, 1948.

This state of affairs cannot stay the same. Palestinians need a drastic change in how they handle the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

I am convinced that there is a Palestinian and Israeli majority on both sides that desire peace. The Palestinian majority who want peace (I am including Palestinians who live outside of Palestine in this definition) must join forces and organize, preferably through the internet. Then the Palestinians should seek their Israeli counterparts and join forces with them to isolate the extremists on both sides of the conflict. They should organize non-violent actions that would demonstrate their desire for peace.

One such action that I have written about previously is a march from Nablus to Khalil--a million person march right through the checkpoints. The theme of this march would be for Palestinians to take back control of their environment, their land and their economy. In addition, this march will signal that there is a clear cut majority of Palestinians and Israelis that desire peace.

Another project that these two groups can do as one group, is to stage blockades of the highways that lead the settlers to their homes in the West Bank. By protesting the movement of the settlers over discriminately designated routes over and through Palestinian lands, this movement will maximum negative exposure on the illegal Israeli settlements.

Other measures would be to for a human link around homes that Israeli bulldozers are about to teardown. There non-violent action will expose the extreme measures Israel undertakes in demolishing Palestinian homes as a form of collective punishment for actions of an individual who has committed an act out of political necessity.

As for the political refugees living outside of Palestine, there needs to be a way to bring them, one by one if need by, back to Palestine. Palestinians need to smuggle refugees back into Palestine. (It’s funny that I am calling for a people to be smuggled back in their own country.)

I am sure other creative non-violent measures can be thought of by many other people. I only offer a few here. The process of a non-violent movement needs to be started for the status quo cannot endure forever. Palestinians need to change the status quo and they need to take drastic non-violent measures to achieve this.

About Me

Fadi Zanayed is an author, poet, community activist and an attorney since 1985. A graduate from Loyola University with a B.S. in Managerial Accounting and a minor in Political Science in 1983, he received his law degree from Loyola School of Law in 1985. A Palestinian American whose family originates from Ramallah, Palestine, Fadi Zanayed is an active and proud member of the Arab American community with a long history of community leadership and service. They include: Founding Member of Arab-American Bar Association of Illinois, Inc.; Former Regional Director & Past President, Chicago Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee; Past President of the Chicago Chapter of the Palestinian American Congress; Past National Secretary of the Palestinian American Congress; Past President of the Chicago Club of Ramallah, Palestine; Past Member of the Board of the American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine; Past President of the American Youth Federation of Ramallah, Palestine. He is the author of Cycle of Frustration: A collection of poems about Palestine; and Betrayal, Sorrow and Tomorrow (pen name: Chris F. Wollinks).